Scientists: people saved pumpkin and squash from the disappearance of 10 thousand years ago – BBC

17.11.2015, 19:19

The group of biologists from the UK and the US established that the ancestors of wild gourds, gourds and squash could disappear if they are not domesticated. Relevant Article published in the journal PNAS.

Logan Kistler and his colleagues examined the DNA of the plant family Cucurbitaceae Cucurbita , to determine how about 10 thousand. Years ago, these plants were able to adapt to changing environmental conditions, as opposed to extinct large mammals that could not do it. In addition, scientists have figured out how pumpkin seeds spread across the continent.

The results showed that a greater role in the spread of ancient gourd played large herbivores – in the remains of their droppings were found seeds. At the same time, the genetic analysis of 91 samples of ancient, modern and contemporary cultured wild pumpkin showed that people often domesticated these plants throughout the Americas. The study’s authors concluded: if people are not domesticated pumpkin, squash and gourd, these plants would disappear from the face of the earth because of the extinction of animals that contributed to the spread of plants across the continent.